DANA MILBANK: It's time for the GOP to learn a new song

Washington Post Writers Group

Monday

Oct 28, 2013 at 4:00 AM

Republicans' efforts to amputate Obamacare, and the resulting shutdown of the federal government, brought the party to all-time lows in the polls. So House Republican leaders surrendered, went home, took a few days to think it over, and returned to Washington saying ... the same things that got them into trouble in the first place.

Speaker John Boehner met with his House GOP caucus Wednesday morning for the first time since last week's collapse, then walked into Republican National Committee headquarters to announce his plans to the assembled press corps. From the time he uttered a cheery "Good morning, everyone," it took him only 18 seconds before he announced: "We've got the whole threat of Obamacare continuing to hang over our economy like a wet blanket."

Majority Leader Eric Cantor went straight from "good morning" to "The rollout of Obamacare is nothing short of a debacle."

Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy didn't even say good morning, launching right into "it's another day and a new glitch for the Obamacare rollout."

OK, OK, we get it: Republicans (still) don't like Obamacare. But can't they talk about anything else? "We know what happened with the effort to defund Obamacare," Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times pointed out. "Do you think you have a better environment to do something? And what is the specific legislative strategy at this point?"

The "biggest part," Boehner replied, will be oversight. "When it comes to Obamacare, clearly there's an awful lot that needs to be held accountable."

Great. Fresh from a shutdown and almost a default over Obamacare, House Republicans' new legislative strategy is to investigate Obamacare. Is it any wonder this Congress, and congressional Republicans in particular, is held in such low public esteem?

Certainly, the flubbed rollout of Obamacare and healthcare.gov gives Republicans an opening to turn more Americans against the new law, but most of the country doesn't share Republicans' singular obsession with Obamacare. The Washington Post/ABC News poll found only 33 percent favor the law's repeal.

"Employers are scared to death" of the law, the speaker said. "There're so many unanswered questions that that is adding to the fear," Cantor echoed, adding further references to "the confusion and the fear" and "Americans who are growing in their fear."

The lawmakers did not address the possibility that they are the ones causing the fear and confusion. Their remarks, alternately demanding a delay of Obamacare and more probes, were lacking in constructive proposals.